Container with hinged cover



1953 N. s. WATERMAN CONTAINER WITH HINGED COVER 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed March 18, 1950 f 56d- INVENTOR.

NEIL S. WATERMAN ATTORNEY Feb. 10. 1953 N. s. WATERMAN 2,627,995

CONTAINER WITH HINGED COVER Filed March 18, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

x29 INVENTOR.

L/3 WW ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 10, 1953 UN I TED S TATES PATENT OFFICE CONTAINERWITH HINGED COVER Neil -'S; -Water-man, Scarborough, -N.IY. Application March 18, 1950, Serial'NoI150A'34 2- Claims. '1

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in containers with covers.

More particularly, the invention proposes a new hinge construction for a container and its cover by which the cover is hingedly connected with the container. One hinge may be used for each container and cover, or more than one hinge, as for example, two hinges may be arranged on opposite sides of the container and cover, and may operate so that the covermay be hinged open by selective- 1y using either of said two' hinges.

The new hinge construction is characterized by trunnion hinge sections frictionally releasably engaging in socket hinge sections in order that the hinge sections may hinge in the usual way, and may be separated whenever desired. Moreover, the construction is exceptionally simple and lends itself for use with rigid type plastic material containers.

An important object of this invention also resides .in the construction of a container formed from a body and cover and provided with two of the new hinges on opposite sides so that the cover may be hinged open using either one of the hinges as a hinge. The other hinge then acts as a latch when the cover is closed.

Another characteristic feature of the invention resides in providing a cover with one or more projecting lugs provided with a trunnion hinge section on each end of each lug and cooperative with an open top body having vertical walls provided with cutouts into which the lugs engage, and the side portions of said cutouts being provided with top and end walls which are provided with socket hinge section recesses for receiving said trunnion hinge sections in order to form hinges for said cover.

It is an object of this invention to form the trunnion hinge sections with beveled ends and to form the socket hinge section recesses with inclined ends in the top walls of said side portions into and through which the beveled ends of the trunnion hinge sections may pass when said lugs are engaged into said cutouts in order that the trunnion hinge sections may seek positions slightly beneath said top walls when in said socket hinge section recesses, so that the beveled tips of the trunnion hinge sections will engage beneath the bottom faces of said top walls when said cover is hinged coaxially of said trunnion hinge sections to open positions on said body in order to hold said cover pivotally on the body.

The new construction is exceptionally simple and provides an efiicient hinge or hinges by which the cover is hingedly mounted on'the body.

terial part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a plan view'ofa container with acover constructed in accordance with this invention.

' Fig. 2 is a .front elevational 'view of Fig. 1.

Fig; 3 is an end view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken onthe line 55 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary enlarged'sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6a is a fragmentary enlarged detailed view of' the .back left hand corner of Fig. 1, but illustrated with the cover of the 'ccntainer'pivoted upwards to a vertical position.

' Fig. '7 is a plan view of another container with cover constructed in accordance with another form of this invention.

Fig. 8 is a front view of Fig. '7.

(Fig. 9 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken on'the line 99 of Fig. 7.

Fig. 10 is afragmentary enlarged sectional view taken on the line Iii-4D of Fig. '7.

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary enlarged detailed view of one of the corners of the container, illustrated per se.

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary enlarged detailed view of one of the corners of the cover, illustrated ,per SB.

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary plan view of the container portion and cover portion shown in Figs. .11 and 12 assembled and illustrated with the coverpivoted vertically upwards to an open position.

The container with hinged cover, as illustrated in Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive, includes a cover II] of rigid type plastic material having a projecting side or lug I I provided with a trunnion hinge section I2 on each end and said trunnion hinge sections having beveled ends I3. This cover is associated with an open top body I4 of rigid type plastic material having a vertical wall I5 provided with a cutout I 6 into which said projecting side or lug "I I engages. The body I' l also has end walls [8 and top flanges or top walls [1 projecting from said end walls l8. To the sides of said outout Hi the top walls I1 and end walls 18 are provided with socket hinge section recesses [3 for receiving said trunnion hinge sections I2.

The socket hinge section recesses 19 have inclined ends 20 extending through said top walls [1 through which the beveled ends [3 of said trunnion hinge sections i2 pass when said lug II is engaged into said cutout Hi. The trunnion hinge sections 12 are a tight fit in said socket recesses 13 so that it requires a little force to engage and remove the trunnion hinge sections from the recesses. Normally, the trunnion hinge sections I2 are located slightly beneath the top walls I1, see Figs. 3 and 5, when said trunnion hinge sections are positioned in said socket recesses 19. With this construction the beveled tips of the trunnion hinge sections I2 will engage the bottom faces of the top walls [1 when the cover I is pivoted to an open position upon the body M in order to hold said cover In pivotally on said body [4. v

In the particular design and construction of the container illustrated, the trunnion hinge sections l2 comprise the ends of a rod which extends across the bottom face of the cover l0 and which is cemented in position to the cover ID. The ends of the rod 20" project from. the ends of the lug II and form the said trunnion hinge sections l2. The side and front walls of the container 14 have beveled top edges 21 which are engaged by complementary bevels along the edges of the cover It. The cover i0 is also provided with a front projecting handle portion 22 projecting outwards of the front wall of the container I4 by which the cover may be easily gripped and pivoted to open and closed positions.

The operation of the new container and cover may be understood from the following:

In Fig. 1 the cover i0 is shown in its closed position on the container 14. In this position it may be removed from the container by firmly gripping the cover and container and pulling them apart. The trunnion hinge sections 12 merely snap out from the open socket recesses l3 during the disengagement of the cover from the container. The cover I4 may be re-engaged upon the container by placing it across the top of the container and forcing the trunnion hinge sections 12 down into the socket recesses 19.

When the cover 10 is hinged open on the container M the tips of the trunnion hinge sections l2 engage beneath the bottom faces of the walls l1 and pivotally hold the cover 10 connected with the container it. Thus the cover may be pivoted open and closed without these parts coming apart during the pivoting operation.

In Figs. '7 to 13 inclusive, another embodiment of the same invention has been disclosed. More specifically, a cover 25 of rigid type plastic material is provided with a pair of projecting sides or lugs 26 formed on its front and back edge portions. These lugs 26 are provided with trunnion hinge sections 21 on their end portions. The trunnion hinge sections 21 have beveled ends 28. The cover 25 is cooperative with an open top body 29 of rigid type plastic material having ver tical walls 30 along its front and back sides. These vertical walls 30 are provided with cut.- outs 3| into which the said lugs 26 engage. The side portions of said cutouts 3! have top walls 32 and end walls 33 which are provided with open socket hinge section recesses 34 for receiving the trunnion hinge sections 21 so as to form two separate hinges for said cover 25 The top walls 32 and the end walls 33 are formed by cavities 33a formed in the vertical walls 30 and extending upwards from the bottom faces of said vertical walls 30.

The socket recesses 34 have inclined ends in said top walls 32 through which the beveled ends 28 of said trunnion hinge sections 21 pass when said lugs 26 are engaged in said cutouts 3|. The trunnion hinge sections 21 are tight fits in said socket recesses 34 so that it requires a little force to engage=and remove said trunnion hinge sections from said socket recesses. Said trunnion hinge sections 21 are normally located slightly beneath the top walls 32 (see Fig. 9) so that the beveled tips of certain of said trunnion hinge sections 21 will engage beneath the faces of certain of said top walls 32 when said cover is pivoted axially of the trunnion hinge sections of one of said lugs 26 to an open position on said body 29 in order to hold said cover pivotally on said body.

In the construction shown the trunnion hinge sections 21 comprise integral portions projecting from the ends of the lugs 26. The container 29 is also provided with end walls 35 and a bottom wall 36. The bottom wall 36 does not extend beneath the lugs 26 so that the lugs 26 are free to pivot downwards in this space when the cover 25 is pivoted open.

The operation and use of this container may be understood from the following: 7

The cover 25 may be pivoted open from its front or back edge portion. When thus pivoted open the tips of the trunnion hinge sections 21 will ride beneath the top walls 32 and pivotally hold the cover in position while in its open condition. In Fig. 13 the cover 25 is illustrated in a vertically open position, and the dot and dash lines 21 schematically indicate the position taken by the trunnion hinge section 21. Note particularly that the tip of the trunnion hinge section is now located beneath the top wall 32. When the cover is in its closed position, as illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, it may be removed from the container 29 merely by forcing it up wards so that the trunnion hinge sections 21 are forced out from the socket recesses 34.

It should be particularly noted that the cover may be hinged open on either hinge, while the other hinge acts as a snap latch for holding the cover in its closed position.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

l. A container, comprising two separate parts, one of said parts being a container body having an open top, the other of said parts being a cover closing said open top, one of said parts having wall portions on opposite sides thereof and said wall portions having open socket hinge sections, the other of said parts having trunnion hinge sections on opposite sides thereof frictionally releasably engaging in said socket hinge sections, said open socket hinge sections being open in a direction towards said part having said trunnion hinge sections in order that said cover may be moved away from said body for moving said trunnion hinge sections out of said open socket hinge sections for separating said parts or said cover may be pivoted open from one side or its other side by using the trunnion hinge sec-tions which are on the side opposite to the side being pivoted open as hinges for said pivoting operation, said wall portions having top wall sections and end wall sections, said trunnion hinge sections having beveled tips, said open socket hinge sections being extended through said top wall sections and into said end wall sections, those portions of said open socket hinge sections in said top wall sections being congruent with said beveled tipped trunnion hinge sections when said cover closes the open top of said body, and those portions of said open socket hinge sections in said end wall sections forming hinge bearings for said trunnion hinge sections with said trunnion hinge sections lying immediately below said top wall sections in order that when said cover is pivoted open from one side or its other side the trunnion hinge sections which are on the side opposite to the side being pivoted open turn and the beveled tips thereof move out of congruence with said open socket hinge sections for locking said last mentioned trunnion hinge sections beneath the adjacent top wall sections.

2. A container, comprising two separate parts, one of said parts being a container body having an open top, the other of said parts being a cover closing said open top, one of said parts having wall portions on one side thereof and said wall portions having open socket hinge sections, the other of said parts having trunnion hinge sections on one side thereof frictionally releasably engaging in said socket hinge sections, said open socket hinge sections being open in a direction towards said part having said trunnion hinge sections in order that said cover may be moved away from said body for moving said trunnion hinge sections out of said open socket hinge sections for separating said parts or said cover may be pivoted open by using said trunnion hinge sections as hinges for said pivoting operation, said wall portions having top wall sections and end wall sections, said trunnion hinge sections having beveled tips, said open socket hinge sections being extended through said top wall sections and into said end wall sections, those portions of said open socket hinge sections in said top wall sections being congruent with said beveled tipped trunnion hinge sections when said cover closes the open top of said body, and those portions of said open socket hinge sections in said end wall sections forming hinge bearings for said trunnion hinge sections with said trunnion hinge sections lying immediately below said top wall sections in order that when said cover is pivoted open said trunnion hinge sections turn and the beveled tips thereof move out of congruence with said open socket hinge sections for locking said trunnion hinge sections beneath said top wall sections.

NEIL S, WATERMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED sTATEs PATENTS Number Name Date 479,936 Foster Aug. 2, 1892 1,976,426 Zisoh Oct. 9, 1934 2,200,399 Primas May 14, 1940 2,350,463 Kallus June 6, 1944 2,460,488 Brunetti Feb. 1, 1949 2,508,951 Kazimier May 23, 1950 2,509,355 Kampa May 30, 1950 2,526,458 Bronnenhart Oct. 17, 1950 

